7-Year-Old Dies A Day After Mid-City Shooting

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A 7-year-old boy who was shot in the chest Monday night while sitting in a car in the Mid-City area has died, the Los Angeles Police Department reported Tuesday night.

The second-grader was in a vehicle with his mother and her male friend when gunfire erupted around 9 p.m. in the 1900 block of South Corning Street.

Detectives said one of the adult victims drove to a nearby hospital.

The boy, with a bullet lodged next to his heart, was then transferred to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for emergency surgery. He was in serious condition, but succumbed to his injuries around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the boy’s father, who wished to remain unidentified, was praying for his son to recover.

“They stopped the artery in the heart. One of the main arteries in the heart. They stopped the blood,” he said. “He’s going to survive. He’s strong. He’s a tough guy.”

The father pleaded for the suspects to come forward.

“If these individuals that shot my son turned themselves in, that’s when the violence is gonna stop,” he said.

Police described the suspects as four black men wearing hoodies. They were in a white vehicle.

“I would like the public to kinda put themselves in [the family’s shoes] right now and help us out,” Sgt. Cleon Joseph said.

Anyone with information on the crime should contact the LAPD’s West L.A. Division at (310) 444-0702.